Vegetable-cutter.



lo. 7I4,925. Patented Doc. 2, I902. N. LYKE. VEGETABLE CUTTER.

(Application filed. Apr. 13, 1901.)

.(No Model.)

Uniinn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHANIEL LYKE, OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK.

VEGETABLE-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,925, dated December 2, 1902.

Application filed April 13, 1901- Serial No. 55,659. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL LYKE,acitizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vegetable-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to vegetable-cutters; and it has for its object to provide an improved device of this class whereby vegetables may be conveniently, rapidly, and without waste reduced to sliced or shredded form.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating my improved vegetable-cutter in use. Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of my improved vegetable-cutter, showing the parts in position for use for slicing potatoes or other vegetables into elongated strips. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the parts in position for cutting potatoes or other vegetables into thin slices. Fig. 4; is a perspective view of the device with the parts in position for shredding celery and other vegetables. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse sectional view taken upon the line m on, Fig. 2.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same reference characters. I

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates my improved vegetable-cutter, which embodies a frame 2, consisting of side pieces 3, between which are arranged a transverse cutting member 4 and a plurality of longitudinal cutting members 5, which are arranged for operation in connection with the transverse cutter member. The longitudinal cutter members 5 are preferably detachably connected with the frame 2, being carried upon a feed-plate 6,which is maintained in operative position between the side pieces 3 by suitable securing means 7. The transverse cutter member 4 is carried by a supplemental feed-plate S,which is secured between the side pieces 3 by suitable securing means 9. The feed-plates 6 and 8 are arranged at opposite ends of the frame 2 and carry the respective cutter members 4 and 5 at adjacent ends of said feed-plates, which adjacent ends are relatively spaced, as at 10 to permit. the passage of the sliced or cut vegetables between the same.

In the preferred form of construction the side pieces 3extend longitudinally in parallel relation, and the securing means 7 and 9 consists of headed and threaded bolts 10, which pass through said side pieces and through the respective feed-plates 6 and 8 to receive at their ends exteriorly of the frame 2 thumbnuts 11, whereby said feed-plates may be securely clamped in operative position. The feed-plate 8 is preferably pivotally mounted at the end opposite that which carries the cutter member 4, being carried upon a transverse shaft or pin 12, which passes through the respective end portions of the side pieces 3 of the frame 2. By means of this pin or shaft 12 the side pieces 3 are permanently connected together.

The transverse cutter member 4 consists of an edged knife-blade 13, which is firmly secured to the inner end portion of the feedplate 8, and said knife-blade 13 overlaps the space 10 between the adjacent ends of the feed-plates 6 and 8.

The longitudinal cutter members 5 preferably consist of a plurality of transversely and serially arranged short knife-blades 14,which are connected with the inner end of the feedplate 6 and project outwardly and upwardly from said end portion of said feed-plate into a plane slightly beneath the plane of the broad knife-blade 13, which constitutes the transverse cutter member 4. Each of said short knife-blades 14 is provided with a shank 15, which is embedded or secured in the feedplate 6. To secure the short knife-blades 14 in proper obliquely upwardly projecting position, said knife-blades 14 are angularly connected with the shanks 15, and the inner end portion of the feed-plate 6 is beveled, as at 16, in proportion to the angular divergence between the knife-blades 14 and the shanks 15, so that the bases of said knife-blades, as well as the shanks 15 of the same, are firmly embeddedin the end portion of the feed-plate. Said knife-blades 14. and shanks 15 are preferably of integral formation, as illustrated, whereby simplicity and iuexpensiveness of construction and durability and rapidity in use are obtained.

The feed-plates 6 and 8 are secured between the side pieces 3 of the frame 2 in such position that said side pieces 3 constitute guides for a vegetable moved along either of the feedplates; but the feed-plate 8 is preferably arranged in operative position at a slight angle with the feed-plate 6, whereby the transverse cutter member 4 extends in a plane slightly above the longitudinal cutter members 5. It results from this arrangement of parts that vegetables operated upon by the cutter members will be divided into strips or slices, which will pass beneath the transverse cutter member 4 and through the space 10 into a suitable receptacle arranged beneath the same.

17 designates a feed device or pusher which may be readily operated upon the side pieces 3 to feed avegetable to the cutter members 4 and 5. The feed device 17 in the preferred form of construction consists of a fiat plate or strip 18, which is provided at one edge with spaced cut-out portions 19, which are formed to fit the side pieces 3 of the frame 2. The feed device 17 may thus readily be slid along or reciprocated upon the side pieces 3 to advance the vegetable to the cutter members 4 and 5.

The operation and advantages of my improved Vegetable-cutter will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. With the partsin the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the vegetable-cutter may be conveniently employed for slicing potatoes into elongated strips for the purpose of frying and for slicing vegetables in general for cooking purposes. In using the cutter the vegetable is placed upon the feedplate 6 and is advanced toward the cutter members 4 and 5 by the feed device 17. Un der this pressure the vegetable is divided into strips by the cutter devices 14, and said strips are divided from the remaining portion of the vegetable by the transverse cutter device 13. It is manifest that the proportions and dimensions of the several slices or strips of the vegetable maybe varied by varying the spaced relations of the knife-blades 14and the knifeblade 13 as well as by varying the proportions of the knife-blades 14. The severed strips orslices of the vegetable pass through the space 10 between the feed-plates 6 and 8 and may be received in any suitable receptacle. When it is desired to form thin vegetableslices, such as employed for the production of Saratoga-chip potatoes, the feed-plate 6 is reversed face for face, and the plane face of the same opposite that from which the knife blades 14 project permits of feeding the vegetable to the knife-blade 13 for transverse division and slicing Without longitudinal slicing or division by means of the longitudinal cutter members 5. To permit of this operation of parts and to bring the plane reverse face of the feed-plate 6 into proper operative position with respect to the transverse cutter member 4, the bolt 10, which supports the inner end of the feed-plate 6, preferably passes through a bore 20, formed eccentrically transversely through the feed-plate 6 or nearer the normal upper face of the same than the lower or reverse face of the same. By removing the feed-plate 6 entirely from the frame 2 the transverse cutter member 4 may be conveniently and effectively employed for shredding celery or other vegetables which may be reciprocated upon the feed-plate Sin engagement with the operative edge of the knifeblade 13.

The feed-plate 6, together with the knifeblades 14, may be readily detached from the frame 2 for cleaning or for sharpening the knife-blades 14, and the feed-plate 8, together with the knife-blade 13, may be readily swung into convenient position for cleaning or sharpening upon the pin or shaft 12. In using the device one end of the same is preferably rested upon the table or other support, and the other end of the same may then be rested against the person of the operator, who will thus have the free use of both hands for manipulating the vegetable to be cut. The entire device is simple in construction, although capable of a diversity of usages, is inexpensive in construction, and not liable to get out of repair.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the details of construction and, arrangement as herein described and illustrated, as it is manifest that variations and modifications may be made in the features of construction and arrangement in the adaptation of the device to various conditions of use, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. I therefore reserve the right to all such variation and modification as properly falls Within the scope of my invention and the terms of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent A device of the class described, comprising side pieces each provided with four holes registering with each other, a plate provided with two transverse holes therethrough complementary to the holes in the side pieces at one, side of the center and provided at one end with knives the shanks of which are set into said plate and there secured and the outer edges of which project beyond said plate and incline outward from the bottom, bolts passing through the holes in the plate and the side pieces and provided with winged nuts, a second plate provided with a transverse hole therethrough registering with the holes near the opposite end of the side pieces and with a transverse opening therethrough. oblong in cross-section and provided at its inner end with a knife extending transversely across said second plate and overlapping said firstmentioned knives, bolts passing through said hole and said oblong opening and the corresponding holes in the side pieces and provided with winged nuts on their'ends, and a feed device adapted to slide upon the side pieces.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

NATHANIEL LYKE.

Witnesses:

E. W. STEVENS, GLENN A. FRANK. 

